Back to the beat...

Vacation was great. Accomplished everything I had wanted to do; spent time with the family, saw international soccer action, ate good food, visited new places.

Now, it's back to work. I feel rejuvenated and ready to finish out the last 3 months.

I did a small photo release on some mechanics the other day and it got me back in the groove, somewhat. It was a good reminder for me of how dedicated, disciplined and knowledgeable Soldiers are. They show consistent professionalism and take pride in serving their country.

Being around Soldiers anytime is special, but being around them when they are working in their area of expertise is a privilege.

I plan on doing a lot more stories on vehicle mechanics because they are busy and have a variety of work to do that is interesting. I'm hoping to develop stories towards a Mechanic's Corner type of news, where the reader can learn basics and advanced technology practices.

Because the pace of things has slowed considerably, getting interesting stories on Soldiers is becoming more difficult. This is a good thing because it means the war is wrapping up, but it is tough for a reporter when there are a lack of good story lines to chase.

Staying busy makes time go by faster, so maybe in the past, the story didn't seem so good to tackle, now it is.

Going against the traffic...

So far so good. Vacation is coming up and it seems to be the right fit at the right time. I'm feeling a little burnout lately. I'm anxious to see my daughter and see how tall she has gotten. Can't wait for the 12th to come around so we are all together. I have plans for us to spend a few nights in a rainforest in Mindo, Ecuador. Hoping to go hiking, see nature, rest, kayak, rest some more and get in some good family time. Also, hoping to take my father n' law to some Soccer games in Quito.

I've been incredibly fortunate in my job duties so far as I detailed before, but I may not have explained some of the fringe benefits that have accompanied the night shift.

Working at night and sleeping during the day means I'm going against the traffic to the gym, bathroom, laundry, internet cafe and dining facility. With less people around, things can be more pleasant. Cleanliness and ambience are those subtle factors which make the nightshift such a fortunate experience.

The dining facility for midnight chow is much less noisy, I can hear the tv that is on in there and it's primetime in the U.S. so I may catch some live sports events.

When I get off shift, the bathrooms have just been cleaned and the gym has fresh towels for workouts. Also, there is always a computer available at the internet cafe.

The greatest benefit, though, may be that I don't have to deal with the 115 degree daytime heat because I'm usually asleep with the A/C on.

The small community on the night shift has also meant an opportunity to make new friends. I have made some great buddies, who are working as media analysts (contractors) alongside our unit in public affairs. Unfortunately, there time here is drawing to a close and they are moving on. These media analysis contractors I'm referring to, Tim, Bill, Matt, Scott and Ricardo are either leaving or going to Victory Camp. I'm hoping for Victory Camp so I have somewhere to visit in my final months here.

Good luck guys, and I hope we see each other sometime in the States. It's been fun, we've had great conversations.

The beat goes on...

It's good to post again! Not too much has changed and in saying that, I must mention the effects of 'Groundhog Day' the movie, on this deployment. 'Groundhog Day' is an expression that many Soldiers repeat quite often when describing how their day is going because the days blend into each other and feel the same from one to the next.

Interestingly, I've learned that many Soldiers who either use the term or hear it used have no idea where it comes from. I explained its origin to one young Soldier and acknowledged to myself, how can everybody be expected to know this expression. The movie came out in 1993.

Right now the pullout of troops from the cities in Iraq seems to be working well. The June 30 deadline went smoothly and troops are adjusting. There have been a low amount of incidents in the days since and everyone is hopeful for the best.

As for the life of an Army journalist post June 30, telling the Soldiers' stories goes on. There is still a lot to tell and to record. Army journalists from MND-B are finding the most relevant stories to report as we still must maintain products, such as the bi-weekly newspaper, The Crossed Sabers and the internet daily newspaper, The Daily Charge, which I still put together and edit.

These papers can be retrieved from http://pao.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/ or from http://www.dvidshub.net/, a military public affairs distribution site.

I will soon begin prepping for a two-week vacation to see my family. I leave sometime in August to see my wife and daughter, Patty and Alicea. Our plans are to meet up in Quito, Ecuador to visit with family. I miss them so much.

I'm going to cut this post short, as I feel an onset of carpal-tunnel syndrome coming on. I'm joking...somewhat, but with all the design and editing I do, I am sometimes feeling tired in my fingers from working with the mouse so much and also with one computer without a mouse. I joke with some of my colleagues that I might be starting a class action lawsuit 2o years from now. This attempt at humor is tinged with lots and lots of irony,... get it,... coming to war and getting a case of carpal-tunnel, ha-ha,... maybe not so funny, but I tried.

Oh, ... the Irony--and some History

Military trivia just isn't like sports trivia for me. My knowledge of military history is still in its infancy stage. I'm learning new, intrinsic, idiosyncratic notes of linguistic, military terminology each and every day.

I have just figured out that 'Live the Legend' does exist. Now, I'm not sure if Sgt. Logue also knew that this is 1st Cavalry's motto when she replied that day that she was living the legend when I passed her and asked how her day was going. Actually, I'm not sure how many people from my unit, the 211th MPAD, which is attached to 1st Cav, know of the motto 'Live the Legend.' It could be I'm the only one who didn't know. I have no idea, but neither does it matter.

I just saw it recently imprinted lightly into some colorful, propaganda posters made up to illuminate the wonders of the Cavalry.

So, why is it 'Live the Legend', you might ask.

The 1st Cavalry has been around since 1855 and has particpated in the Civil War, the Indian Wars, the Spanish American War, and most of the battles of the 20th and 21st century involving the U.S.

Troopers still rode horses as their primary form of maneuvering for patrols as late as 1923 and continued surveillance of the Mexican border with horses through the 1940's. The Division continued to train with their mix of machines and horses until giving in to a more modern technology in the mid-40's. Saddles and harnesses were turned in for other forms of transport.

The motto serves as a reminder to troops to try and keep up the courage of what the forefathers accomplished.

It is a privilege to play a small part in such a prestigious Division of the Army and to help carry on the Legend as it keeps growing in stature.

"The Editor"

I made a decision to write one blog per month. I feel this is the minimum acceptable for this kind of blog. This month's blog must be focused on my current responsibities here at Camp Liberty, as they have changed from reporter to editor of our internet newspaper, The Daily Charge.

I am enjoying my time at night and the early morning hours in the 1st Cav. Div. main building, getting the paper prepared for the next day's viewing. There is some artistic thought required as each paper must be designed individually and laid out for the viewer to read at their leisure. The paper should be aesthetically pleasing to the eye and catchy for the reader.

I start out with the press releases and decide which should be on the front page and from there I edit the rest of the paper, including the weather, the Pvt. Murphy comic, quotes of the day, military history of the day and games.

I have the freedom to try new things, so I put in a game I created in basic training that I call Wordplay. I discovered this game as I repeatedly had to stand behind other Soldiers with nothing to do but stare at their names on the back of their patrol caps. It's like an anagram, but you don't need to use all the letters.

Also, I have distributed flyers to advertise The Daily Charge, hoping to pick up some new readers.

The Daily Charge can be viewed at http://www.cavcountry.net/ . I have put some Letterman top 10 lists into the paper, this one has been my favorite.
Top 10 signs you're at a bad zoo
10) All animals are stuffed and mounted
9) It's nothing but photos of other zoos
8) Lost and found has a number of human limbs
7) Monkeys are forced to work as unpaid janitors
6) Every visitor gets free parasites
5) The animals are smoking
4) Ronny and the Goon never get around to taking the 12th caller (sorry, that's a sign you're at a bad radio morning zoo)
3) For an extra fee, you can pet the zookeepers
2) You ask where you can find a panda and they send you to the snack bar
1) Instead of octupus, they've got an Octomom

I also have put in a Chuck Norris feat for each paper. I don't know how these got to be so popular, but they have achieved a pop-cultural status with Soldiers. My favorite is did you know that Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.

I will get back to the blog in June, talk to ya then.

Living the legend and other phenomenas...

As I was racking my mind for an interesting topic for this blog I realized I had to address Sgt. Logue's response to me asking her how she was doing the other day. I said, "how's it going, Sergeant?", and she said, "Living the legend, Specialist."

At that point, I'm thinking, Whoaah!, hey, that's not fair. She was so matter of fact about it with her business-like manner, leaving no room for me to say, "What the heck does that mean?, explain yourself, because I really want to know."

I haven't gotten around to asking her about it, I was only left with thinking about the legend, and thinking maybe she said it because she knew I would include her in a blog specifically about living the legend.

I can only speculate, but maybe living the legend means I'm living with legendary status because I'm in the Army during war times. 'Living the legend' seems just a tad too much for my tastes. I'm sticking with 'living the dream,' thanks.

But, all this 'legend' stuff does lead me to another subject, somewhat related.

I was surprised to see how much telling the Soldiers' stories has propelled myself into the limelight of the internet. Quite frankly, I didn't realize that after writing and photographing these stories, I would be building such a personal library for such easy access to the public. It didn't occur to me.

Each article is forwarded as a media release, so it is up for grabs for any website anywhere. I don't think I'm the only new Army journalist to be caught offguard by this procedure. I know there are others who did not realize all of what we write would be made available to any civilian press or institution. It's a great thing because it shows the military has nothing to hide.

And now that it's happening, I have to admit it feels good. But, it also feels a little awkward. Of course, I want my stories to be told so Soldiers get the credit they deserve. But, because of the state of the internet, it is only natural that the ego tends to get involved. Being able to tame the ego and write for the right reasons are the key elements in staying professional.

I have been fortunate so far, I have covered incredible stories with interesting subplots and interesting characters. I have written on Iraqi juvenile detainees, a military working dog funeral, an Army/Navy project that protects the base, a transportation company that left for Afghanistan and an engineering company partnering with Iraqi Soldiers on a heavy equipment worksite, just to name a few.

And for the most part, everything is available to view at anytime for anyone, just by placing a search on the internet with my name as spc. howard alperin.

It is an amazing time to be an Army journalist. Cheers.

A Passover Seder to remember...

Wow, a night after leaving the rock concert that was President Obama at the al-Faw Palace, I was back in the same neighborhood for a Passover Seder.

It's a good thing the President came Tuesday and not Wednesday, or the Seder probably would have been canceled.

There were 40 Jews in attendance, all from various military branches and civilian contractors were there too. The Army, of course had the most military representatives. Interestingly, I sat between a female Jewish 1st Lt. of the Marines and the only Mormon at the Seder.

I can't say for sure the Seder from last night was as 'Hollywood' as the one I attended while at Fort Jackson last year. I met Paul Reubens, the actor famous for creating the Pee Wee Herman character there.

But, I really enjoyed assembling 'the unofficial' U.S. Military Yiddish Dictionary last night.

It took me a lot of chutzpah to come up with this list, and I hope it doesn't seem like a bunch of dreck. I will share some of the words, but not all of them, because then I might sound like a schmoe. I hope not to hear a lot of kavetching later on.

Putz, klutz, schlep, schmutz, faklempt, farmischt, tucus, meshuganah, mench, schmuck, schmeckle, schpiel, megila, noch, chatzke, cockamamie, schtetl, oy vey, oy gezalt, schmear, zaideh, bubby, and if you remember Laverne & Shirley, you might recall schlemeel and schlemazzle.

By the way, I heard the gefilte fish was pretty tasty, they ran out before I had a chance to eat any.